This invention relates in general to equipment for exercising dogs and other animals and more particularly to an apparatus which may be attached to a treadmill.
Dogs and other animals generally need frequent exercise to maintain a healthy condition. Regular exercise is particularly important for animals such as hunting dogs. However, weather conditions or other factors may sometimes prevent owners or trainers from properly exercising their animals. Also, facilities with sufficient size may not always be available for dogs and other animals to obtain the desired amount of exercise. Finally, dogs and other animals recovering from an injury frequently benefit from a regular, carefully controlled exercise program.
In accordance with teachings of the present invention apparatus is provided to substantially eliminate or reduce problems associated with providing year round, regulated or controlled exercise for dogs and other animals. The present invention allows a dog, sheep or other animal to be exercised in a relatively small confined area without regard to external factors such as the time of day or weather conditions. One aspect of the present invention includes apparatus which may be attached to a treadmill to properly position a dog or other animal thereon. The apparatus may also provide support for the dog or other animal if required. For some applications the apparatus may be permanently mounted to the treadmill. For other applications the apparatus may be releasably secured to the treadmill. For still further applications, the apparatus may be formed from multiple components which may be easily assembled prior to each exercise period. When no longer in use, the apparatus may be broken down into its individual components for easy storage.
Technical advantages of the present invention include allowing a dog or other animal to be exercised in a controlled, safe environment. The dog or other animal can be properly exercised without regard to the time of day or weather conditions. Also, the present invention allows improved monitoring, carefully controlled and detailed record keeping of each exercise performed by a dog or other animal on a daily, weekly, monthly or annual basis. The results of the exercise program may be maintained and evaluated locally or transmitted to a remote location.